Vibrating exercise table



2 Sheet-Sheet l A. H. STEBBINS VIBRATING EXERCISE TABLE Filed July 23,1924 Dec. 29 1925 Dec. 29 l925- A. H. sTEBBlNs VIBRATING EXERCISE TABLEFiled July 23, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /N VEA/TOR.'

ATTOR/Y 'Patented 29, 1925.

Cri

n 1,567,818 PATENT OFFICE.

UNITED STATES ALBERT H. STEBBINS, OF LOS ANGELES, ALIIOBNIA.

mamme EXERCISE ranma.

Application led July 28, 1924. Serial No. 727,712.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ALBERT H. STEBBINS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles.. in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented an Improvement in Vibrating Exercise Tables,of which the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is

over the affected portion of the body are p now in extensive use.

The vibratory movement serves to stimulate and exercise the portion ofthe body l to which it is applied, and to be beneficial the vibratoryelement should have a short rapid stroke.

It is found that the entire human body may be benefited by subjecting itto a rapid vibratory force, and the present invention therefore relatesto an exercise table constructed to support the human body, and providedwith mechanism for moving the table back and forth rapidly in thedirection of its length with vibratory effect.

A person undergoing treatment upon the exercise table of the presentinvention may lie flat upon the table, or may assume Va sitting orinclined position, depending upon whether the entire body is to besubjected to the vibratory treatment, or only a part of the personsbody, and the vibratory movement imparted to any particular portions ofthe body may be modified as desired by interposing either soft or hardcushions between vthe person and table at different points. For example,if it is desired to reduce the vibratory movement imparted to thepersons head, an air cushion or a soft pad may be placed under thepersons head, and if it is desired to increase the force of thevibrations imparted to part of the back, a hard cushion may be used tosupport that portion of the back and to transmit the vibrations of thetable directly to that portion of the body. The effect of the treatmentmay be still further varied,l upon the person undergoing treatmentassuming a osition transversely of the table instead o longitudinallythereof.

To secure the most effective or beneficial treatment, the table shouldmove back and forth in the direction of its length along a straight lineand should be given a short but rapid movement.

One important feature of the present invention 'therefore resides innovel means for supporting the exercise table for movement back andforth along a straight line with a minimum amount of friction.

Another important feature of the invention resides in operating meansfor moving the table rapidly and positively in opposite directions.

In some cases it ma be desirable to promote a flow of bloo lengthwise ofthe erson bein treated to increase the fiow of blood eit er to theersons head or to his feet, and this may e accomplished by the v1brati.ng table of the present invention by imparting a progressive vibratorymovement to the table. Another feature of the resent invention thereforeresides in means or operating the table more energetically in onedirection than the other to produce the desired progressive vibratorymovement. The person being treated may lie upon the table with his headat one end when the progressive movement is employed, to promote iow ofblood to his head, or with his head at the o posite end when 1t isdesired to cause the b ood to flow away from his head.

Other features of the invention and novel combination of parts inaddition to the above will be hereinafter described in connection Withthe accompanying drawings which illustrate one good practical formthereof.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a vibrating exercise tableconstructed in accordance with the resent invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. l, with the greater portion of thetable broken away to show the table supporting and operating mechanism.

Fig. 3 is an end view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view thru an operating sheave mountedupon an eccentric shaft; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the table operating mec anism.

In the embodiment of the invention shown the operating parts areIsupported by a base or frame, consisting of side beams connected bytransversely extending bars 11, and the table 12 is movably supported byand rests upon wheels 13 secured to the transversely extending shafts14. The wheels are rigidly secured to their shafts in spaced relation,Vand the shafts 14 are shown as supported near the ends of the table bybrackets l5 that are secured to and extend upwardly from the beams 10.Each bracket 15 is provided with a journal box 1G in which an end of,one of the shafts 14 is rotatably mounted.

The table 12 rests upon the wheels 13 and is thus supported for freemovement in the direction of its length. The wheels are shown as havingfiat peripheral faces, and bearing shoes 17 (Fig. 3) which may be formedof hard fibre are secured to the blocks 18 to engage the wheels. Guideplates 19 and 2O secured to the under face of the table at each side ofthe block 18 are provided to engage the sides of the wheels 13 to guidethe table and keepit in place upon the wheels. In order to prevent thetable from being lifted off the wheels 13, straps or springs 21 areprovided (four being shown, two at each end of the table) and thesestraps are secured to the machine base by bolts 22 and extend upwardlyVto the table 12. The upper ends of the straps are bent to formbolt-receiving eyes, and the eyes are secured by bolts 23 to theU-shaped brackets 24 fastened to the under face of the table.

From the construction so far described it will be seen that the table issupported by the wheels 13 for movement back and forth in the directionof its len th with a minimum amount of friction an that it is maintainedin its proper position upon the wheels.

Means will now be described for movin the table back and forth withvibratory e feet. Various means might be provided to this end, but theconstruction shown serves to move the table rapidly and positively back'and forth in a satisfactory manner.

Below the table is mounted a transversely extending operating shaft 25journaled 1n bearings 26 mounted upon the beams 1.0. The shaft 25 isprovided with an eccentric 27 Which may be integral with the shaft. Uponthe eccentric 27 is mounted a sheave 28 having the' cable receivinggrooves 29. Anti-friction bearings 30 of Well known construction arepreferably mounted between the sheave and its eccentric so that theeccentric may rotate freely within the sheave to move the latter bodilybut not rotatively. The anti-friction bearings are held in spacedrelation by the annular rib 31 of the sheave 28, and the sheave andbearings are held from moving longitudinally of the shaft b a flangeplate 32 'at one side of the eccentric 27 and b a driving sheave 33 atthe opposite side o the eccentric.

Means is provided for rotating the shafts 14 so that the engagementbetween the wheels 13 and the shoes 17 will assist in imparting the backand forth movement to the table and to this end each shaft 14 isprovided withl an o eratin sheave 34.

The movement of the s eave 28 is imparted to the table 12 by a cable orcables 35. In the construction shown a cable is provided having anintermediate portion rigidly secured to the under side of the table atone or more points 36, and the clamping means may conslst oftransversely extending bolts which clamp the cable between cooperatingblocks. One portion of the cable extends from the table 12 about thelefthand sheave 34 and then about the sheave 28 in one groove 29 and theend of this portion of the cable is anchored to a cross bar 11. Anotherportion of the cable 35 extends from the table about the right-handsheave 34 and then about the sheave 28 in the other groove and isanchored to a cross bar 11.

The ends of the cable are fastenedat 37 to the bolts 38 extending thruholes in the cross bars 11, and the tension of the cable may be variedby rotating the hand Wheels 39 having threaded engagement with the bolts38. It is desirable that the cable anchoring means shall yield slightlyas the sheave 28 moves in its orbital pat and to this end, in thepresent case, rubber pads 40 are confined between the cross bars and theadjacent hand Wheels.

The eccentric shaft 25 may be driven by an electric motor 41 secured tothe machine frame and having a belt 42 operatively engaging the sheave33, and as the eccentric 27 rotates it moves the sheave 28 in an orbitalpath. ThisA serves to tension alternatively the portions of the cableengaging the opposite sides of the sheave 28 and pull the table 12 infirst one direction and then the other, and the pull upon the cablerotates the sheaves 34 and wheels 13 to help reciprocate the table.

A person receiving a treatment upon the present table may lie flat uponthe table, as shown in Fig. 1, or may assume such other position as maybe necessary to obtain the desired treatment. The portions of the personthat exert the greatest pressure upon the table Will receive thegreatest vibratory effect, but, as above stated, this increased effectmay be produced upon different portions of the body by placing a hardcushion 43 under that portion of the body which is to be subjected tothe increased vibratory effect. The table is preferably provided with ahead rest 44 retained in place by pins that extend into sockets 45 inthe table, and

the sockets 45 are provided at each end of the table, so that the headrest may be secured at one end of the table or the other. An air cushion46 may be provided upon the head rest to support the persons head andreduce the vibratory movement imparted to the head. Cables 47 stretchedbetween upstanding brackets 48 may be provided at each s ide of thetable 12 to assist in holding the person in place upon the table.

As stated, it may be desirable to impart a progressive vibratorymovement to the table to promote the flow of blood either toward or froma persons head. This accomplished in the present case by confining acoiled spring 49 at each side of the table between a bracket 50extending upwardly from the supporting frame, and an abutment 5lextending downwardly from the table. The effect of these two springs isto move the table more rapidly in one directionthan the other, and tocause the operating cable to arrest themovement of the table morequickly in one direction than the other. The progressive movement, inaddition to promoting the flow of blood in the desired direction, may beused to stretch or extend one portion of the body and compress anotherportion. This is due tothe fact that `normally the greatest weight ofthe person upon the table occurs at the hips and the portions of thebody which rest more lightly upon the table will tend to travel underthe progressive movement of the table relative to the hips.

The construction described, by which rocking movement is imparted fromthe operating cable, through the shafts 14 to the Wheels 13, whiledesirable as assisting to impart a back and forth movement to the table12, is not necessary in all constructions since if the wheels 13 arerotatably mounted on the shafts 14 the cable 35 will impart the desiredreciprocatory movement to the table.

What is claimed is:

l. A vibratory exercise machine, comprising in combination, a tablemounted for movement back and forth in the direction of its length andconstructed to support a person in a lying position, transverselyextending shafts rotatably supported below the table, wheels mountedupon and rigidly secured ton the shafts and adapted to support thetable, wheel-engaging plates rigidly secured to the table to rest uponthe wheels, and means for rocking the shafts and wheels through a slightangle to cause the engage-v ment of the wheels with said plates to movethe table back and forth with vibratory effect.

2. A vibratory exercise machine, comprising in combination, a supportingframe, a table mounted for movement back and forth in the direction ofits length and constructed to support a person in a lying' position,wheels rotatably supported by the frame and having the table restingthereupon, Wheel-engaging shoes rigidly secured to the table to restupon the wheels, and means for rocking the wheels to cause theengagement of the wheels with said shoes to move the table back effect.

3. A vibratory exercise machine, comprising in combination, a tablesupporting frame, a table mounted upon said vframe and forth withvibratory for movement back and forth in the direction of its` lengthand constructed to sup-Y port a person 1n a lylng position, means foi"moving the table back and forth with vibratory effect, including aneccentric shaft, a sheave mounted upon the eccentric, a cable secured tothe table and table supporting frame and having an intermediate portionpassel around one side of the sheave and another intermediate portionpassed around another side of' the sheave to pull the table back andforth when the eccentric shaft is to pull the table back and forth asthe eccentric shaft is rotated.

5. A vibratory exercise machine, comprising in combination, a supportingframe, a table mountel upon the frame for back and forth movement andconstructed to support a person in a lying position, means for movingthe table back and forth with vibratory effect, including an eccentricshaft, a sheave mounted upon the eccentric, and a cable secured to thetable and having portions extending. from the table about the sheave inopposite directions and anchored to said frame to impart back and forthmovement to the table upon rotation of the eccentric shaft.

6. A vibratory exercise machine, comprising in combination, a supportingframe, a table mounted upon the frame for back and forth movement andconstructed to support a person in a lying position, means for movingthe table back and forth with vibratory effect, including an eccentricshaft, a sheave mounted upon the eccentric, a-cable secured to the tableand having portions passing in opposite directions about the sheave tomove the. table positively back and forth, and means for yieldinglyanchoring the ends of the cable to said frame.

7. A- vibratory exercise machine, comprising in combination, asupporting'frame, a table mounted upon the frame for back and llO forthmovement and constructed to support a. person in a lying position, atransversely,

extending shaft rotatably supported by said frame, wheels rigidlysecured to the shaft and having the table resting thereupon, a sheavesecured to the shaft, a cable secured to the table and extending aroundthe sheave, means for periodically pulling the cable to rotate thesheave and move the table in one direction, and means for moving thet-able in the opposite direction.

S. A vibrator-y cxcrcisc machine, comprising in combination, asupporting frame, a table mounted upon the frame for back and forthmovement and constructed to support a person, wheels rotatably mountedupon the frame and having the table resting upon their periphery, strapsextending downwardly from the table to hold the table in place upon thewheels` an eccentric shaft, and a cable actuated by the eccentric topull the table back and forth with vibratory effect.

9. A vibratory exercise machine, comprising in combination, a supportingframe, a table mounted upon the frame for back and forth movement andconstructed to support a person, wheels rotatably mounted upon the frameand having the table resting upon their periphery, straps extendingdownwardly from the table to hold the table in place upon the Wheels,means for moving the table back and forth with vibratory effect, andmeans for modifying the movement of the table so that it will travelmore rapidly in one direction than the other to impart to the personupon the table a progressive vibratory movement.

10. A vibratory exercise machine, comprising in combination, a tableconstructed to support a person in a lying position, means forsupporting the table for movement back and forth in the direction of itslength, means for moving the table back and forth with vibratory effectto stimulate the body of the person lying upon the table, and means formodifying the movement of the table so that it will travel more rapidlyin one direction than the other to impart a progressive vbratorymovement to the table so that it will promote the flow of bloodlengthwise of the person upon the table.

1l. A vibratory exercise machine, comprising in combination, asupporting frame, a table mounted upon the frame for back and forthmovement and constructed to support a person for vibratory treatment,transversely extending shafts rotatably supported by the frame, wheelsmounted upon the sha'f ts and adapted to support the table, wheelengaging shoes fastened to the table to rcst upon the Wheels, guideplates extending downwardly from the table and engaging the sides of thewheels to guide the table, and means for rotating the Wheels in contactwith said shoes to move the table back and forth with vibratory effect.

l2. A vibratory exercise-machine, comprising in combination, a tablemounted for movement back and forth in the direction of its length andconstructed to support a person for vibrator-y treatment, a transverselyextending shaft supported below the table, a Wheel mounted upon saidshaftand adapted to support the table, a sheave'se-- cured to saidwheel, a cable secured to the table and passed around the sheave torotate it and the table supporting Wheel, means for periodically pullingthe cable to move the table in one direction, and means for moving thetable in the opposite direction.

13. A vibratory exercise machine, comprising in combination, asupporting frame, a table mounted upon the frame for back and forthmovement and constructed to support a person in a lying position, meansfor moving the table back and forth with vibratory effect, including aneccentric shaft, a sheave mounted upon the eccentric, an antifrictionbearing between the sheave and eccentric to permit thev latter to rotatefreely within the former, a cable secured to the table and having aportion extending around said sheave so that the movement of the sheavealternately pulls and slacks off the -cable to actuate the table, andmeans for moving the table in a direction to tighten the cable.

14. A vibratory exercise machine, com- .prising in combination, asupporting frame,

a table mounted upon the frame for back and forth movement andconstructed to support a person in a lying position, means for movingthe table back and forth with vibratory effect, including an eccentricshaft, a sheave mounted upon the eccentric so that the latter may rotatewithin the sheave to move it in an orbital path, a cable secured to thetable and having a portion extending around the sheave so that themovement of the sheave alternately pulls and slacks off the cable toactuate the table, and means for moving the table in a direction totighten the cable.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ALBERT H. STEBBINS.

